Looking to spike your cortisol levels? Then we've got the Netflix streaming guide for you.
From old frights to new fears, we've scoured Netflix's horror catalog to find the best cinematic nightmares for darkening your device. Of course, not all terrifying titles are born of the same fire and brimstone — so we've included a variety of ethereal ghost stories, stark home invasion horrors, gentrifying vampires, psychological thrillers, classic creeps, satirical scares, and more. Yes, Netflix originals like the Fear Street trilogy and I'm Thinking of Ending Things are on here. But we've also got genre staples like Insidious, plus hidden gems like Creep.
Here are 20 of the best scary movies currently streaming on Netflix — all of them packed with eerie entertainment value because you don't need to sleep ever again. Happy haunting!
20. The Babysitter
Y'know, I'm not sure The Babysitter really works as a movie, it's more the idea of a movie loosely strung together by one-liners and style. Still, it's a fun way to kill a few hours. Samara Weaving stars as the titular childcare professional, a popular teen with a passion for human sacrifice and one-liners. Judah Lewis stars as the kid being babysat, with supporting performances by Hana Mae Lee, Robbie Amell, Bella Thorne, and Andrew Bachelor. The sequel, released this past September, is more of the same — so if you like the first, do a double feature(opens in a new tab).
Where to watch: The Babysitter(opens in a new tab) is now streaming on Netflix(opens in a new tab).
19. Velvet Buzzsaw
From the dude behind the brilliant 2014 psychological thriller Nightcrawler comes a hilarious — and horrifying — send-up of the Los Angeles art scene. In writer-director Dan Gilroy's epic Velvet Buzzsaw, Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Toni Collette, and half a dozen other performers you probably love act their hearts out as fine art appreciators hunted down and killed by their priceless pieces. (Seriously, Billy Magnussen gets strangled by a painting of monkeys. It's awesome.)
Where to watch: Velvet Buzzsaw(opens in a new tab) is now streaming (opens in a new tab)on Netflix(opens in a new tab).
18. Blood Red Sky
Netflix's Blood Red Sky is one of those horror movies made so much better by knowing as little as possible going into it that I'm going to try to say as little as possible to get you to watch it. Directed by Peter Thorwarth, who co-wrote the script with Stefan Holtz, this action horror adventure combines the best parts of Flight Plan with tinges of A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night. Star Peri Baumeister is completely breathtaking as a woman attempting to protect her son from hijackers aboard a transatlantic voyage.
Where to watch: Blood Red Sky (opens in a new tab)is now streaming on Netflix(opens in a new tab).
17. The Ritual
In director David Bruckner's scenic tour of a hellscape, four pals hike through northern Sweden to honor a departed friend. Of course, their trip soon morphs into a torturous and never-ending nightmare — with a killer lead performance by Rafe Spall. Slippery and divisive, this movie begs to be picked apart. More likely than not, you'll love the world it creates but hate the way it ends. Or, like me, you'll love the world it creates and how it ends. Have fun with it! And pack bug spray!
Where to watch: The Ritual (opens in a new tab)is now streaming (opens in a new tab)on Netflix(opens in a new tab).
16. Apostle
Before Michael Sheen became the Angel Aziraphale in Amazon's Good Omens, he celebrated religion in a, uh... "different" way. Apostle is a completely bonkers period horror film that features Sheen at his most terrifying, playing a cult leader with an affinity for bloodletting and other "creative" religious sacraments. Lead Dan Stevens keeps the slow-paced narrative moving, with stunning supporting performances by The Politician's Lucy Boynton and Welsh stage actor Mark Lewis Jones.
Where to watch: Apostle is now streaming on Netflix(opens in a new tab).
15. Zombieland
Horror-comedy got a double-tap of greatness with this 2009 romp, which imagines the zombie apocalypse as an amusement park packed with action, gore, and punchlines galore. Jesse Eisenberg stars as the meek yet wise Columbus, whose rules to survival have kept him safe since outbreak day went from potential hook-up to self-defensive homicide. Joining him on a rowdy road trip through a ravaged USA are hard-hitting Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), sassy Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), and snarling but scorching hot Wichita (Emma Stone). Can love and friendship blossom in this hopeless place? Does Bill Murray pop up for a kooky cameo? Find out by hitting play.* —Kristy Puchko, Film Editor
How to watch: Zombieland is streaming on Netflix.(opens in a new tab)
14. Cam
One of the most underrated titles in Netflix's original horror catalog, Isa Mazzei and Daniel Goldhaber's Cam combines the tumultuous world of professional webcam modeling with the insidious terrors of a body-snatching whodunnit. The Handmaid's Tale's Madeline Brewer stars as Alice Ackerman, an ambitious performer eager to climb up the digital ranks who finds herself confronted with a doppelgänger gunning to take her spot, her fans, and maybe, her life.
Where to watch: Cam (opens in a new tab)is now streaming on Netflix(opens in a new tab).
13. Hush
Genius writer-director Mike Flanagan tackles the home invasion subgenre with remarkable clarity and creativity in the completely excellent Hush. Kate Siegel stars as an author living in the woods, who must use everything at her disposal to outsmart a killer. If you're looking for pure, unfettered suspense, then this is the title to cue up right now.
Where to watch: Hush(opens in a new tab) is now streaming on Netflix(opens in a new tab).
12. 1922
Directed by Zak Halditch and based on Stephen King's novella of the same name, 1922 tackles classic themes of guilt, envy, and evil through the grim lens of the American Dust Bowl. Thomas Jane and Molly Parker square-off to striking effect, painting a portrait of a marriage that is as at once remarkably absurd and nauseatingly plausible. The couple's son, played by Dylan Schmid, is just as compelling, with a heartbreaking storyline you won't soon forget. (FYI fans of the book, there are big changes(opens in a new tab) to the adaptation's ending that didn't bother me, but could bother you.)
Where to watch: 1922 (opens in a new tab)is now streaming (opens in a new tab)on Netflix(opens in a new tab).
11. Unfriended
I will defend director Levan Gabriadze's oft-maligned Unfriended until my dying day. Yes, the title is stupid. Sure, some of the acting could be better. Of course, that isn't what the average blender would really do to a human hand. (An immersion blender, maybe.) Still, I challenge you to watch this sucker on a laptop and not feel something lurking behind your browser for days to come. It's got a good story, excellent pacing, and enough solid jokes and gore to make its comedy a high point.
Where to watch: Unfriended(opens in a new tab) is now streaming on Netflix(opens in a new tab).
10. Ouija: Origin of Evil
The biggest surprise in Ouija: Origin of Evil, the 2016 prequel to the mediocre 2014 film Ouija, was when it turned out to actually be a good movie. It makes sense now in 2023, when the director's name of Mr. Mike Flanagan means something to us, thanks to the steady stream of horror content (like The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass) he's spent the last several years unleashing onto Netflix. But in 2016 this movie hit as a shock — the best kind.
Set in the late 1960s, this is an old-fashioned tale of two sisters, one of whom asks the board to connect with their dead father and the other one who gets possessed by an evil spirit in the process. Flanagan manages to suss out big wallops of the oogie-boogies from the little wooden board and its recognizable planchette, which has haunted every sleepover for the past 130 years. (Ouija Boards as we know them date all the way back to 1890, if you can believe it!)* — Jason Adams, Freelance Contributor
How to watch: Ouija: Origin of Evil is streaming on Netflix.(opens in a new tab)
9. The Fear Street trilogy
Director Leigh Janiak pulls off a small movie miracle in her Fear Street trilogy, delivering consistently fun and fright-filled sequels that just keep getting better. Start your journey off with Fear Street Part One: 1994, in which we meet the cursed teens of a town named Shadyside. For years, the suburban haven has been terrorized by mass murderers — all of them normal townspeople who seemingly "snapped" over nothing.
Across Fear Street Part Two: 1978 and Fear Street Part Three: 1666, get to the bottom of the mystery behind these killings and their connection to the legendary Shadyside Witch. Based on the Fear Street books by R.L. Stine, this is a punchy slasher with enough gore and goofs to fuel a straight-through binge.
Where to watch: Fear Street (opens in a new tab)is now streaming on Netflix(opens in a new tab).
8. The Perfection
From cellos and foreplay to hallucinations and hiking, The Perfection does absolutely whatever it wants. Featuring Allison Williams in her best role since Get Out and Dear White People's Logan Browning in her best part ever, this vibrant genre blend will get a reaction out of you. Not necessarily a good reaction, but a reaction nonetheless. It's body horror meets psychological thriller meets occult drama meets classical music. With bugs. And vomit. I, for one, loved it!
Where to watch: The Perfection(opens in a new tab) is now streaming (opens in a new tab)on Netflix(opens in a new tab).
7. His House
Writer-director Remi Weekes' His House is easily my favorite scary Netflix release of the year. Wunmi Mosaku and Sope Dirisu star as refugees from South Sudan seeking asylum in Britain who are assigned to live in an eerie neighborhood where they aren't welcome. Spectacularly frightening and ruthlessly critical of its subject matter, His House delivers everything it must — and then some.
Where to watch: His House(opens in a new tab) is now streaming on Netflix(opens in a new tab).
6. Vampires vs. the Bronx
Want a movie that's got excitement, comedy, a scorching message about the evils of gentrification, and is a kid-friendly romp? Then take a bite out of Vampires vs. the Bronx. Oz Perkins's PG-13 horror-comedy centers on Afro-Latino teens, who recognize that a flurry of missing person posters and influx of rich white folks with tote bags means bad news for the neighborhood. Together, they team up Monster Squad-style to take down the bloodsuckers and save their community. With a sharp wit, a warm heart, a rich sense of atmosphere, and an equal appreciation for the Blade movies and '80s Amblin, Vampires vs. the Bronx is an easy watch full of rewards. —Kristy Puchko, Film Editor*
How to watch: Vampires vs. the Bronx(opens in a new tab) is now streaming on Netflix.(opens in a new tab)
5. Gerald's Game
Another romp from Mike Flanagan, based on one of Stephen King's lesser known terrors, Gerald's Game follows a couple on a romantic trip to a remote cabin where things are totally fine and nothing bad happens. Just kidding! It's so, so, so bad! This survival thriller rooted in psychosexual trauma offers an exquisite performance by Carla Gugino who is devastating nearly every moment she is on screen. Really. It's Haunting of Hill House times 10. Watch it for her.
Where to watch: Gerald's Game(opens in a new tab) is now streaming on Netflix(opens in a new tab).
4. Crimson Peak
Directed by creature connoisseur Guillermo del Toro, Crimson Peak is a dark gothic fantasy you'll want to fall into head-first. Mia Wasikowska leads as a 19th-century American heiress, whisked away to England by her handsome new husband, played by Tom Hiddleston. Once the young bride arrives at her groom's family mansion, however, visions of ghosts begin to plague her. That her sister-in-law, played by Jessica Chastain, treats her with mysterious disdain isn't helping.
An epic mystery with more exquisite scenes than you can count, this spectacular ghost story gives longtime del Toro fans the horror flick they've always wanted from the iconic director.
Where to watch: Crimson Peak (opens in a new tab)is now streaming on Netflix(opens in a new tab).
3. Creep
Oh, you thought you liked Mark Duplass? Because he was the love interest in all those indie rom-coms, played that doctor in The Mindy Project, and is easily the best character in The Morning Show? Well, think again! In Creep, a found-footage film that foregoes pageantry for a stark sense of panic, Duplass plays a strange loner named Josef that freelance documentarian Aaron, played by writer-director Patrick Brice, can't quite pin down. Duplass' performance is intoxicating, and Brice imagines a universe so compelling it absolutely merits its equally great sequel (also on Netflix(opens in a new tab).)
Where to watch: Creep is now streaming (opens in a new tab)on Netflix(opens in a new tab).
2. Incantation
Kevin Ko's Taiwanese horror freaked people out so much that it even started a TikTok challenge(opens in a new tab) and managed to become the all-time highest-grossing horror film in Taiwan(opens in a new tab). "When one imagines horror movies, it’s almost impossible to not associate them with jump scares, monsters, or slashers," wrote Rizwana Zafer for Mashable. "Incantation does not rely on any of those typical horror movie factors, so it’s not really 'scary' in the traditional sense. Instead, Ko manages to terrify us using suspense and dread, built on the intimacy and psychological terror of the heroine. He plays on our deepest fears to scare us, incorporating elements of gore, trypophobia, and the eeriness of the unknown, that something evil is always lurking in the background." — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor*
How to watch: Incantation is now streaming on Netflix(opens in a new tab).
1. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
Emotional demolitions expert/filmmaker Charlie Kaufman destroys audiences once more in the mind-boggling I’m Thinking of Ending Things. Adapted from Iain Reid’s novel of the same name, this cryptically titled psychological thriller follows a woman, played by Jessie Buckley, and her boyfriend, played by Jesse Plemons, on a disturbing visit to his parents’ remote farmhouse. What follows? Well, that depends on who you ask.
A transfixing meditation on art, existence, value, authorship, isolation, and more, I’m Thinking of Ending Things is a truly one-of-a-kind experience as profound as it is disquieting. You may not have a great time in this house of abstract horrors (especially when Toni Collette is onscreen doing those classically terrifying Toni Collette things), but it will be a lasting one. *
Where to watch: (opens in a new tab)I'm Thinking of Ending Things (opens in a new tab)is streaming on Netflix. (opens in a new tab)
* denotes that this blurb appeared in a previous Mashable list.
UPDATE: Apr. 6, 2022, 11:23 a.m. EDT This list has been updated to reflect Netflix's current streaming library.
